Come Thanksgiving I am overrun by pumpkin. Pumpkin treats for the roommates, pumpkin pie for family dinner, pumpkin spice lattes for me. Somehow, when all the pumpkining is through and I’m putting the last pie in the oven there is always pumpkin leftover.
At first I took to baking mini-pies, but that requires making mini-crusts, and making crusts for leftovers when you’ve already been baking all day is way too much of a hassle. So, my laziness and thriftiness came together in a bright flashing light of inspiration, and for the past couple of years my leftover pumpkin mixture has been turned into fried pumpkin patties.
What You'll Need
This recipe is disgustingly simple and so deliciously worth it. All you need is your leftover pumpkin mix (or, if you wanna be fancy and just make these for the hell of it, a can of pumpkin), flour and oil for frying.
What To Do
If you’re making these from canned pumpkin that hasn’t already been spiced for pies you’ll probably want to add the Holy Quartet of Pumpkin Pie Spices: cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg. Any can of pumpkin will have a recipe for this on the label, but should you somehow find yourself label-less just dump a bunch of cinnamon into that bastard and add each of the others bit by bit to taste (I know that sounds vague and lazy, but, seriously, you have to work pretty hard to screw up pumpkin spice).
Next add flour to your pumpkin mixture until it has thickened enough to make a nice, satisfying plop when you scoop up a spoonful and let it drop back into the bowl. Add enough oil to a pan to generously coat the bottom and plop in as many spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture as you feel comfortable frying at one time. One spoonful equals one patty. Fry until the edges start to turn brown then flip. Finished, they should look glossy and slightly rubbery.
These patties won’t be crunchy like your typical fried dessert but they will be warm and gooey and pumpkin-y, and they will make your mouth happy that you took the time. They also refrigerate really well, making excellent snacks when post-Thanksgiving pumpkin withdrawal sets in!
Image via Pink Sherbert Phtography's Flickr